


Gem Swap

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, i still wanted to tag it, the connverse is more subtle than anything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-10-16 22:23:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10580706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “'So what is this thing, Pearl?' He asked, looking to the pale Gem besides him.'It’s a dimensional stabilizer, but don’t worry, Steven. It’s harmless in its current state.'"Based on the "Gem Swap" prompt on fakesuepisodes.tumblr.com and the Connieswap AU of connieswap.tumblr.comThe MomSwap gems and Half-Gem!Connie all belong to the lovely people at Connieswap! If you liked this fic (or even if you don't!) check them out on tumblr. They have great fanfic and artwork, and the work they put into their au is amazing!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Art was drawn by MJStudioArts, the artist for Connieswap! (Thanks!)

The mission to obtain the gem artifact was not intense. It was more like scavenging than anything. When the Gems said that Connie could come along, Steven was ecstatic. She had only been able to go on a few missions since her first, but whenever she did, they were a blast. Metaphorically, of course. All the missions that Connie went on had a minimal amount of explosions, and Steven doubted that Dr. Maheswaran would let her go on any that _did_ end up having explosions. This particular mission involved scouring a small area in the Battlefield for some artifact. It had taken a few hours to look through all the rubble, but it went by quickly with the company of his Jam Bud and the Crystal Gems.

Steven looked down at the device held in his hand. It reminded him of a Rubik's cube, only instead of colorful stickers, there were green, square buttons lining the sides. He made sure to hold it in such a way as to not press any of the buttons. Next to him, Connie eyed the device with careful curiosity.

Currently, they were walking through the strawberry fields, heading back towards the warp pad. The sweet scent of berries hung in the air, and the sun was close to setting, casting a warm light on everything. Steven was careful to sidestep over any strawberries in his way. He quickly learned that giant magical strawberries were messy business the first time he came here.

“So what is this thing, Pearl?” He asked, looking to the pale Gem besides him.

“It’s a dimensional stabilizer, but don’t worry, Steven. It’s harmless in its current state.”

“Dimensional stabilizer? What’s that?” Connie asked, but before Pearl could answer, a certain purple Gem spoke up.

“Pfft, if it’s harmless, P, then why did we have to come all the way out here and get it?” Amethyst said, before kicking a large strawberry that was in her path. She snickered at the explosion of fruit and juice.

Pearl rolled her eyes at the display. “Because, Amethyst, just because it’s harmless now, doesn’t mean it will continue to be later on. If it activates, who knows what could happen!”

Amethyst groaned. “It took hours to find that thing, and if it hasn't activated in the last five thousand years, I don’t think it's gonna ac—”

“Pearl’s right,” Garnet interrupted from behind the group of four. “There’s no way of knowing what could happen, or what sort of consequences could come from it. It’s best if we contain it now, before anything happens.” That seemed to settle the debate between the Gems, while Steven looked back at the device in his hands with a new, more ominous light.

“Uh… I don’t know if I’m okay with holding this anymore…” He held it away from his body, pretending that an extra foot of distance would make the device any less dangerous.

Pearl was about to say something, but Connie spoke over her. “Wait, woah! What’s that?” She ran up ahead of the group, prompting Steven to chase after her.

“Connie! Wait up!”

Pearl was about to run after the two and berate them for leaving the group when Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let them have fun.” Pearl conceded, but she couldn’t help wringing her hands.

Steven huffed as he caught up to Connie. “What is it?” He asked in between breaths. Though, simply looking at what was next to his friend gave him a pretty clear answer. There was a yellow, oblong shield, glistening in the fading sunlight. The lower half of it was embedded in the stone, letting the rest of it stand freely above ground. “Woah."

“Look at this! I thought you said that the Gems already gathered all the weapons from this place?” Connie spoke quietly, as if anything above a whisper would disturb the strange shield.

“I thought we did.” He swore he could feel the crackle of electricity thrum through the air around them. Connie didn't seem to notice it as she reached out to touch the shield. Instinctively, Steven pulled her hand back. “Wait, uh, let me.”

“Oh, you sure?” She said, slight disappointment in her voice. Steven felt bad, but he didn’t want to risk her getting hurt. He wasn't sure how him touching the shield instead of her would be safer to either of them, him especially. A small voice in his head reasoned that it just would.

“Yeah, but y’know, just to be safe. Here, take this.” He carefully handed the device to Connie, who held it in her hands gingerly. She gave the device a curious eye.He looked back to the shield in front of him. He slowly reached towards it. _Okay, Steven. Just touch the weird, possibly-electric shield._ His hand met the cool metal of the shield, and he let out a sigh of relief when he didn’t die a horrible, horrible death. _How did this even get here… in the ground?_ Before he could ask himself more questions, a certain someone’s voice broke his train of thought.

“-teven!”

“Woah, woah, what?” Startled, he span around and saw Connie staring down at the cube. It was now emitting an eerie green glow, and Steven swore it was shaking in her hands.

“Steven!" Connie yelled again as she held the glowing artifact as far away from herself as possible, trying not to let panic overwhelm her. "I accidentally press something.. What do I do?” She tried to drop it, but found that it held itself fast to her hand. In an attempt to save his friend, Steven grabbed a hold of the device, not caring about the many buttons he pushed in the process, and began to try and tug it out of her hands.

“Steven! Connie! What did you do?” Pearl’s panicked voice was heard as the Gems ran up to the two. Amethyst gasped when she saw the two struggling to separate themselves from the device.

They both let out a jumble of explanations as the green glow of the device grew harsher with every passing second. There was a thin trail of smoke coming from a part of the device, barely visible in the twilight.Garnet was about to make a move to grab them, when suddenly, there was a flash of green light, and the two were gone.

***

Steven hit the ground with a thud, landing on his back. He groaned and sat up slowly. He was on a beach, that was obvious; Sand shifted underneath his weight, and the background noise of the waves filled the air. It was only when he turned around and saw the familiar Beach House perched underneath a statue that he realized this was his beach.

How did he end up here? The last thing he remembered was being at the Gem Battlefield and that weird device activating and him and Connie falli—Connie! He frantically looked around the beach, but saw no sign of her. He must’ve lost her in the portal. Garnet’s words echoed in his mind.

 

_There’s no way of knowing what could happen, or what sort of consequences could come from it._

It was only a matter of luck that he landed outside of his house an— “Oh jeez! She could be anywhere!” He blurted out, to no one in particular. He bounced up onto his feet, wiping sand off his jeans.

“Okay… Gotta find Connie, gotta find the Gems.” He mumbled to himself. His house would be the best place to look first. If they weren’t there, then there was the warp pad. The last place he remembered them being was the Gem Battlefield, and unless he had blacked out during his trip, they should still be there.

Steven half-walked, half-jogged along the beach towards his house, the temple statue looming over head. The wooden steps held fast underneath his weight as he ran up to the porch. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Steven remembered them creaking. He pushed the door open and stepped into the house, immediately calling out for his family.

“Connie?” No response. “Pearl? Garnet? Amethyst?” Nothing. He took a moment to look around and immediately got the sense that something was off, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. For a moment, he was tempted to search the fridge for some snacks, but this isn’t the time, Steven! So, if the Gems and Connie aren’t at home, then it was time for him to warp over to the battlefield.

He made his way to the warp pad in the Temple-half of the house, but he paused when the Temple door glowed with an unfamiliar, orange light. A hulking figure stepped out of the light into the room, prompting Steven to take a step back.

“Oh, hello, Connie’s human friend.” The figure said as the orange glow abated, revealing—

“JASPER!” Steven shouted in alarm. He raised his hands in front of himself to summon his shield, but faltered when he realized a couple of things.

One: Jasper was wearing a blue sweater with a star on it, of all things.

Two: She was not attacking him currently, and didn’t look like she was planning on it.

Three: She didn’t call him Rose, and most noticeably…

Four: She was not corrupted.

Jasper seemed only slightly alarmed by his outburst, having raised an eyebrow. “Yes… that is who I am. Are you feeling alright, hum-Er, Steven? I remembered that that's what Connie wanted me to call you, sorry.” Steven was saved from having to respond by the noise of a door slamming open. He turned around to see a comforting face.

“Jasper, I finished my run—Oh, hi Steven. I didn’t know you were coming over.” Connie said, walking into the house. She was breathing heavily, and wiped some sweat on her forehead. “Wait, did you get a haircut?”

“Connie, wh—Do you not what’s happening here?” He cried out, waving his hands in Jasper’s direction. The stoic Gem simply crossed her arms and looked to Connie.

“Is this normal for humans, squirt?”

“No… uh, Steven?” Connie prodded gently. “You’ve met Jasper before, are you okay?” Steven could only blink in surprise at her response. How was she not concerned? How was she not panicking at the sight of Jasper like he was? He was searching her face wildly, looking for any hint of, well, anything, before a particular glint of color caught his eye.

“Connie! You have a gem!” He pointed at her, where there was indeed a yellow, faceted gem imbedded in her chest. He noted subconsciously that it was the same spot that Amethyst had her own gem.

“Yeah, I was born with it, I thought I told you that?” Connie raised an eyebrow, worry plastered all over her face.

Okay, obviously he was missing something here. Something important.

MEANWHILE

Connie landed on her stomach, hitting the concrete painfully. She jumped up onto her feet and quickly assumed a defensive position, doing the best to ignore the dizziness of her head. She took a quick glance around her surroundings, then relaxed when she saw no immediate threats. She focused her attention to the building in front of her.

It was Mr. Universe’s car wash, that much was obvious, though there was one key difference. The sign that Connie and the Crystal Temps made (a fond memory of hers) was nowhere to be seen, instead replaced with the old one: a neon pink elephant dousing itself with bright blue water. She could think about why Mr. Universe had replaced the sign later, for now she had to find Steven.

It wasn’t a good idea to run off anywhere without a strategy, especially when Gem magic was involved, Connie knew that much. She had to plan. What she didn’t know was where Steven was, and what exactly that gem device did, besides teleporting her to Beach City. She felt the beginnings of panic (or was that bile?) rise in her throat, and she immediately went over her calming strategies.

Breath in,

_Take a moment and ask yourself, if this is how we fall apart._

Breath out,

_But it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not..._

She wasn’t going to fall apart over a little mission gone wrong. She couldn’t. No, instead, she was going to figure out a plan, find Steven and the rest of the Gems, then once everything was okay, she was going to go home and finish the rest of her homework.

(Book reports were _killer._ )

She recalled a helpful process for bad situations that she had read in a certain survival book before her first mission with the Crystal Gems.

First things first, review what you know. She was at the car wash in Beach City. She used to be at the Strawberry Battlefield. She was alone. The sign was different, but that wasn’t necessarily Gem-related. It was sunny out, also not necessarily Gem-related. It wasn’t sunny before she appeared here.

Next, review what you don’t know. She didn’t know where Steven was (or the Gems). She didn’t know where the device was (Did it fall out of her hands? explode?).

The thought that she knew four more things than she didn’t know was only a slight comfort, since she realized that knowing what she didn’t know was a lot more important than the things she already knew. But that’s how it always was, right?

Then, figure out the answers to what you don’t know… The survival book wasn't the best of its genre, but Connie thought it had the right idea in mind. She figured that an easy way to start getting answers was to ask around. Maybe Mr. Universe had seen Steven running around (looking for her, maybe?) Though, his van wasn’t sitting in its usual spot, but maybe he was in the car wash's office?

Connie pushed open the doors to the car wash, ignoring the closed sign in the window. Mr Universe would be understanding of the intrusion, surely.

She realized that she had never actually been in the car wash until now, but she wasn’t exactly surprised at what she saw; It was pretty typical of any old car wash. A counter with a cash register and a T.V hanging overhead stood in the back of the office, and a row of waiting chairs took up the sides. Someone had hooked up the T.V to a gaming console… and was currently playing an intense game of Golf Quest Mini. They were sitting in a chair that had been pulled up to the counter, facing away from Connie. She could only see unruly ringlets of brunette hair being barely held together by a pink scrunchie, but she was still able to tell that this was someone she’s never seen before.

“Uh.. hello?” She called out tentatively.

“Oh! Connie!” The person paused the game and turned around, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Steven. He stood up. “I didn’t know you finished your training this early… but wait!” He held out his hands for just a moment, before reaching over to rummage through a cardboard box that had been sitting on the counter. He pulled out an archaic looking game cartridge. “I found this! Well, my dad found it. Anyway, I think there’s some sort of Gem thing on it?” He turned the cartridge around in his hand, revealing a square, orange Gem that fit perfectly into a slot in the cartridge. “Or maybe it’s a Gem video game — do Gems have video games? — but I didn’t wanna try and play it because I remembered how you said that Gem things could be super dangerous, so I just kept it in the box until I could tell you about it… which I am doing now.” He concluded his ramble a tad breathless.

Connie’s mind was reeling, trying to process all the information he had just thrown at him. _Gem... Gem video games... Steven... long hair... hearing aids?_ Even though she had dozens of thoughts racing through her mind, she ended up blurting out the first one that reached a reasonable state of coherency. Thankfully, it was the issue that was highest on Connie’s current list of priorities.

“Steven! You aged!” He looked just like he did at his birthday party, only with longer, curlier hair. She also noted that he wasn’t wearing his signature shirt, but instead a black shirt that read “Mr. Universe.”

His smile was replaced with a look of confusion. “...What?”

“I-I thought we talked about this, you don’t have to make yourself look older for me…”

“Connie. I’m gonna be honest with you here, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He said, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

That threw Connie off. At least, more than all the other weird things that happened today did. Steven’s birthday party was an… event for the both of them. At least it was for her, but Steven didn’t seem to remember any of it…

“Wait, Steven. What do you remember about today?”

He hesitated for just a moment, then said, “Oh, well, I remember waking up, eating breakfast…” he trailed off when he noticed Connie’s odd look. A sneaking suspicion was growing in her mind with every word he spoke. “Oh, well I guess you mean about me and you specifically? I called you around eleven to see if you wanted to hang out, but you said you had to train with the Gems, so I was like okay! Have fun! Then my dad and I found this box—” He gestured to the box on the counter, “—in the closet of the car wash, it was filled with old video games so I started playing them… then you walked in, and now we’re having this conversation.”

“Okay, cool. Now,” she clapped her hands in front of her. “I’m gonna ask a few questions and I don’t want you to get weirded out by them, okay?” He nodded, though Connie could tell he was already weirded out.

“One: What is your parent’s name?”

"Which one?"

"Both?"

“Greg and Mary Universe.” _Two parents... plural. Alright._

“Two: How long as your hair been like that?”

“Uh… You mean like how long have I had it this length? I stopped cutting it when I was in sixth grade, I think.”

“Okay, good so far." Well, not for her. Since when did Steven go to a school? "Here’s the real hard one. Three: Are you a gem?”

“What? No! Though, that’d be super cool if I was! What kind of weapon do you think I’d have? Nun chucks?”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, great. That gave me even _more_ questions. But at least I have two theories, now. Either that gem device made you fully human, erased your memory, replaced your memory with different memories, and made you look like a teenager, or I’m some weird… parallel world.” She glanced around the car wash. “My second theory is seeming a lot more plausible to me right now, believe it or not.”

“Parallel world? You mean like what those scientists talk about in documentaries? Or Is this a Gem thing? Wait, wait, don’t answer those. So you’re not my Connie?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I mean, you aren’t my Steven, so I guess I wouldn’t be your Connie.”

“Are you a Gem?

“No, is your Connie a Gem?”

Steven nodded. “Yeah, her gem’s like right here,” he patted his chest, right below his neck. “And usually you can see a little of it over her— your?—shirt. It looks super cool.”

There was an itch in the back of her mind at the mention of Gems. She knew that there was something she had to do, but she couldn't help but be curious about this supposed doppelganger of hers. "What is she like?" She could put off whatever it was for a few minutes.

Connie swore he had stars in his eyes when he nodded and gave a big smile. “She’s super cool! We have a ton of fun just talking and hanging out, and yesterday she said that she wanted to show me this book series she loves. What’s your Steven like?”

Connie realized that he seemed to be taking this whole parallel world (possibly simulator. She still wasn't sure on that...) thing pretty easily, but then again, so was she. Honestly, with all the magic stuff that happens with the Gems, something involving the Multi-verse was bound to happen eventually.

“He’s awesome! He’s super optimistic and understanding, and really caring.”

Steven nodded thoughtfully. “What kind of weapon does he have? Any cool powers? ‘Cause Connie can make these cool force field things. She summoned one on the beach the day we met and we had a blast drawing on it and playing games ‘n stuff… until that giant worm attacked us.”

It was her turn to nod thoughtfully. Force Fields? That’s a lot like Steven’s bubble. Did she have a shield too? “You’re acting like the Gems are superheros,” she noticed.

“Have you _seen_ the Gems? They basically _are_ superheros!”

"You have a point there," Connie laughed. She was about to continue, but suddenly her forgotten task was remembered, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. “Oh!” she gasped, “I gotta go find my Steven. We got separated by this Gem thing and I really gotta make sure he’s okay.. Sorry!”

She was about to make a quick exit, when he called out for her to wait.

“Can I help? We can find him together!”

Connie agreed. Having two people search would make the task much easier, she reasoned, and he would no doubt know this world better than she would. (Plus, having someone she knew with her would be much more comforting than being alone, even if it was a sort of pseudo-friendship that they had.)

The two made their way out of the car wash (after Steven made sure that his game was saved, like any good gamer would.) He also ended up bringing the game cartridge to show to the Gems when they found them. It was slow work, looking around town. First, they checked the Funland amusement park, since it was the closest place. Aside from Mr. Frowny and a few tourists, they saw no one. The two checked the U-Stor (no luck), then made their way to the Boardwalk.

Steven said that if he had just been transported to some other worldly dimension, he would probably get a bite to eat before fighting any monsters or whatever was required of him, so they visited Fish-Stew pizza. Connie wasn't sure that they should go around asking if anyone had seen a Steven from a different dimension, since that might raise some alarm, so they decided to simply look through the windows of the shop. They saw Onion, Ronaldo, and Kiki, but no Steven. Finally, they went to the Big Donut.

***

Sadie greeted Connie and Steven warmly as they walked in to the donut shop. "Hi Connie, hi Steven!" She said with a wave. Her coworker beside her gave a grunt of acknowledgement as he stocked donuts on the shelves. It was a miracle that Lars was actually working though, so she didn't want to scold him too much. She settled on giving him a nudge of the elbow, to which he responded by grumbling out an annoyed "Hey," before returning to his work.

"Hi Sadie, uh, weird question," Steven said. "Have you seen me walking around here—" He turned to Connie. "What did you say I looked like again?" Sadie raised an eyebrow at the question, but decided to let the two finish their question.

"Oh uh, short hair," She spoke to Sadie. "about my height, little shorter, he's wearing a red shirt with a yellow star on it. Have you seen him?"

She shook her head. "Nope, the only Steven I've seen today is him," she pointed to Steven with a laugh. What other Steven would there be? "Is this some Gem thing?"

The two nodded. "Yeah, uh, don't worry about it though," Connie said, though it was obvious to Sadie that she was nervous.

"Oh. I'll call you though, if I see him, alright?"

"Thanks, Sadie!" Steven waved goodbye to her before the two left.

Sadie looked to Lars, who had finished stocking the donuts and was now resting on a stool. "Do you think there's actually some other Steven wandering around?"

Lars scoffed and pulled out his phone. "God, I hope not."

"LARS!"

***

Connie groaned and put her head in her hands as soon as they walked out of the sight of Sadie and Lars. "We looked all over Beach City, what if he isn't even here? We can't use the warp pads by ourselves!"

"Connie, it'll be fine." Steven said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "If I know myself, which I do, I know that I can take care of myself." He gave a slight grimace. "Wow, that was weird to say."

She sighed. "Yeah, you're right. He'll be fine, but we still have to find him."

"We do, but—" He froze. "Did we even check the temple?"

Connie lifted her head slowly in realization. "Oh, my gosh, we didn't."

Steven seemed unfazed by the fact that they forgot to check what was, in Connie's mind, the first place they should have looked. "Okay, great! That's one more place to look."

"So to Steven's house?"

"Yeah, to Connie's house."

They looked at each other for a moment.

“This whole doubles thing is going to get really confusing really soon, isn't it?” Steven said. Connie couldn’t help but agree.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! this took way longer than i thought it would, sorry! school just went from 0 to 100, so I don't have a ton of time to write, but i'm still trying to make this work. At least, the good news is that ch 3 is about halfway done, (and already a lot longer than this chapter) so the wait shouldn't be /that/ long. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Pearl was not thinking about Steven and Connie as she sat at the coffee table in the living room of the Beach House..

She was not thinking about the horror on Amethyst’s face when they disappeared.

She _also_ was not thinking about that same look plastered on her own face, as she stared at the empty space in front of her.

She _definitely_ was not thinking about the two, lost and scared, wherever they were. 

She adjusted a few screws on the outer casing of the replacement device in front of her before returning to the main circuitry.

Instead, she focused on how relieved everyone would be once they were back home, safe.

Instead, she focused on what she could do to get them back.

Instead, Pearl focused on the soon-to-be Dimension Stabilizer, made from parts found in Amethyst’s mess of a room.

This was the third prototype of a Dimension Stabilizer. The first had exploded into a pile of dust and ash. 

She gave a glance to the mess, still sitting on the kitchen counter. She could clean that up once they put this chapter of their lives behind them.

The second prototype had gone, thankfully, a little better. Instead of exploding, nothing happened. No clicks of working machinery, no glow in the luminescent circuitry, nothing that indicated proper functioning. She only considered it an improvement based on the fact that it didn’t _literally blow up in her face_.

She was just about finished soldering a certain circuit when the familiar sound of the Temple door opening filled the air. Amethyst walked into the main living room of the house and made a beeline for the screen door, not acknowledging Pearl at all.

”Where exactly are you going?” Pearl asked before Amethyst could leave. The stout Gem paused, but didn’t turn around.

“To Vidalia’s,” She responded flatly.

Pearl set down the soldering iron. “Oh. Would you like to help me get Steven and Connie back, or would you rather just ignore the problem?” She cringed internally at the harsh words, but Amethyst had been holed up in her room since they made it back. She had barely let Pearl come in to get parts for her machine, the machine that could get Steven and Connie back mind her, and now she wasn’t even going to _pretend_ that she was contributing?

Amethyst turned to glare at Pearl. “It’s not like I _could_ do anything. All I got is a whip, and this ain’t exactly a problem I can beat up, now is it?” 

A beat of silence passed between the two gems.

Pearl let out a breath of air she didn't know she had been holding in until now. Of course Amethyst was worried. It was horrible for Pearl to think otherwise; Amethyst loved Steven just as much as she did (okay, maybe not _as_ much, she thought to herself.) “I’m… sorry, Amethyst. I should not have lashed out like that.”

“Thanks,” Amethyst said flatly.

“...If you want to contribute, you could grab me a few transistors from your room...?” Pearl tested. “I didn’t think I would need so many.”

“Y-yeah, okay. Then I’m going to Vidalia’s, kay?”

Pearl nodded. “Then you’re going to Vidalia’s.” She repeated. 

Amethyst walked back to the Temple door, and with a glow of her gem, the door opened. Before she stepped in, however, she looked to Pearl.

“Transistors are those three-pronged little bits, right?”

“Mhm,” Pearl confirmed. Even though Amethyst’s description was rather lacking, Pearl knew what she meant. Amethyst disappeared into her cavernous room. A few minutes later, she returned and set a handful of transistors and other various electronic pieces on the table. A certain piece looked suspiciously like a broken bit of Steven’s old handheld gaming devices from when he was younger.

“Thanks, Amethyst. And.. sorry, again.” 

Amethyst shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, P.” She left after that, leaving Pearl alone once again, with only the device and her thoughts.

She outfitted the machine with transistors, guessing at where they went and hoping she got it right. Most of this was guesswork, really; She had never dealt with Dimension Stabilizers in her lifetime until now. Each minute she spent working on it made her realize exactly how complicated Stabilizers were.

She was considering going to the Barn to ask Peridot for help when the phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. The landline sat on the counter, incessantly calling for someone to answer it. She wasn’t even sure why they had a landline to begin with. Steven was the only one to ever receive calls, and he had a cellphone for those. Nevertheless, Pearl stood up, walked into the kitchen area, and answered the phone. 

Tentatively, she said, “Hello?” 

“ _Ah, hello Pearl,_ ” Dr. Maheswaran’s voice came through the speaker clearly, and Pearl’s heart would have stopped if she had one. She set a hand on the counter for support.

Pearl cleared her throat and, trying to keep her voice as level as possible, replied, “Oh, Dr. Maheswaran! How can I help you?”

She sounded enthused, and somewhere in the back of her mind she worried if she sounded _too_ enthused. Would Dr. Maheswaran find that suspicious? Did she even notice it?

“ _I’m just calling to let you know I’m on my way to pick Connie up, I—Jeez!_ ” The blaring of a horn cut her off, but Dr. Maheswaran’s voice quickly returned, now exasperated. “ _Sorry about that. Anyway, I’m only about ten minutes away from your, uh, home, so tell Connie to put her shoes on._ ”

“Oh, of course. Y-yes, alright.”

“ _Okay, I’ll be there soon. Goodbye._ ” 

“Goodbye,” she repeated. There was a click, then the hiss of static. Pearl set the phone on the counter and took a deep calming breath, that ended up not calming her at all. 

Oh stars, what was she going to do? Could she lie to her? No, the last time they had lied to the Maheswarans didn’t go well, and Pearl wasn't eager to have a repeat of that situation. Well it wasn't all bad; Connie and Steven were still able to hang out, despite his odd family arrangement (which Pearl still did not understand. He had caring, capable guardians, what was strange about that?) Maybe she could manage with just telling her that they were out doing whatever it is that human children do, or at a park or something. 

Or, maybe she should just face the doctor truthfully and accept the consequences. Besides, why should she be so worried about what Dr. Maheswaran had to say? She was just a human, and Pearl _was_ working on getting the children back. Well, she had been, before she was interrupted.

Pearl looked to the machine on the table, screws, wiring, and scraps of metal littered around it, then to the heap of ash on the kitchen island. The least she could do was clean up. One less thing to worry about. 

She swept the ash into the trash bin with ease and set it aside. Then, she began cleaning up the mess on the coffee table. She started by organizing the parts by type, size and color.

Just as she was finishing her task, the Temple door slid open again. This time, Garnet stepped out from the Burning Room. Pearl’s head snapped up from her work to look at the Gem. “Any luck?” she asked eagerly.

Garnet walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Pearl kneeled at the coffee table, half-assembled machine in front of her and parts all organized. “They’re somewhere safe. That’s all I could see,” She adjusted her visor. “Dr. Maheswaran’s on her way over.” It wasn’t a question; it never was with Garnet.

“Yes,” Pearl sighed. “She called a few minutes ago. What are we going to tell her? We couldn’t lie to her, could we? I know what Steven told us about the Maheswarans, but maybe—”

Garnet held up a hand, stopping Pearl from proceeding with her worried ramble. “We tell her the truth. Lying would only complicate the situation, Pearl.” The knot of anxiety she felt loosened. 

“Really? Does she… take it well?”

“No.” And… the knot tightened, worse than before. She silently berated herself for feeling this way. Why should she be so worried over what Dr. Maheswaran would say to her? Then again, it was _her_ fault that they were gone… 

A knock on the door thankfully interrupted her thoughts. When Pearl saw who it was, she was less thankful.

“Come in,” Garnet said, and the door opened, albeit with some hesitancy. It seemed Dr. Maheswaran had just gotten off her shift at the hospital; she was still wearing a wrinkled lab coat, and a stethoscope hung from her neck. 

“Hi, Garnet, Pearl,” Dr. Maheswaran addressed the two Gems with a polite nod, to which they responded back with greetings of their own. There was a beat of silence, awkward for both the doctor and the Gems. “So, where is Connie?” She asked, and Pearl noticed a hint of uneasy suspicion.

“The kids? Oh, the kids. Well, uh,” Pearl fiddled with the leftover transistors on the table as she talked. “We know where the kids are, right Garnet? They’re—” 

“Pearl, I said that lying would not help us here,” Garnet looked to Dr. Maheswaran, who became increasingly concerned as they spoke.

“Where are the kids?” Priyanka asked again, carefully enunciating her words. Though, she could not iron out the slight tremors that racked her voice.

“Dr. Maheswaran, Steven and Connie vanished into an unknown dimension due to a device we had found during a mission this afternoon. However, the device was lost.” As she spoke, Dr. Maheswaran’s face contorted into a look of complete terror and anger. Pearl averted her gaze, guilt weighing heavily in her stomach. She picked up the soldering iron and began to work again, ignoring the way her hand shook. A green glow began to emit itself from the luminescent parts. Pearl smiled. Finally, something was working. 

“Unknown dimens—They’re gone?!” Her hands gripped her hair, tugging at the black and graying strands. “Is Connie okay? Is Steven? _Are they safe?_ ”

Garnet held up her hands as a gesture of honesty, showing off the two gems embedded in her palms. “Don’t worry, Dr. Maheswaran. They are perfectly fine. ” 

“How could _you_ know that?” She asked incredulously, before realizing the answer herself. “Oh, right, Connie said you’re some sort of magic future seer?”

Garnet nodded, but didn’t correct Dr. Maheswaran choice of words. Pearl would have, but it didn’t feel like the time for technicalities. “I’ve spent all day looking for them. It’s hard to pinpoint where they are exactly; other dimensions don’t translate well into Future Vision. But they’re safe. I can promise you that.” She spoke without a hint of deception in her voice. With an adjustment of her visor, she added, “And, it seems they’re with a friend.”

“A friend?” Pearl asked, looking up from her work. Garnet hadn’t mentioned a friend; it must have been a new development.

She gave a short nod. “Yes. At least, they’re friendly. I can’t make out who it is, however.”

Dr. Maheswaran let out a small sigh of relief, but from the looks of it, she wasn’t done berating the Gems. “And how, exactly, did my daughter come across ‘ancient Gem technology?’ If it was dangerous, why didn't you keep it _away_ from the kids?”

Despite her previous stance on this not being the time for technicalities, Pearl spoke up. “It wasn’t dangerous at the start, in fact, it was completely harmless.” 

“And yet it managed to send two defenseless kids _across dimensions?_ ”

“Well, uh, I wouldn’t say _defenseless…_ ” 

Garnet interrupted. “It was a mistake on our part,” Pearl raised her eyebrows in surprise; Garnet rarely admitted mistakes. “We should not have let them come on the mission.”

Dr. Maheswaran’s hands formed tight fists in front of herself. “Wait, you took Connie on a mission, _without my permission?_ ” Her voice rose with parental rage, but Garnet didn’t flinch.

“It was a simple scavenging mission and was not supposed to be a danger at all.” 

Dr. Maheswaran sighed in frustration, obviously not satisfied with Garnet’s answer. “You know what? Fine. We’ll discuss this later,” she said with a glare to both the Gems. “How are we getting the children back? Don’t tell me you aren’t doing anything.” 

“No, no, of course not. Pearl is working on a new Dimension Stabilizer to bring them back.” 

Dr. Maheswaran looked to the bits of metal strewn about the table, then to the cube in front of Pearl. Pearl glanced up at the mention of her name, but continued her work.

“And how is that going?” Dr. Maheswaran asked, focusing her attention to the working Gem. Just then, a series of sparks flew from the Stabilizer, and the neon green glow vanished. The air suddenly smelled of ozone and burnt plastic. She sighed.

“Not very well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone seemed out of character, I apologize! I haven't written a lot of SU fanfiction (or fanfiction in general, heh) so I'm still learning my way around the characters.


	3. Chapter 3

Water slapped lazily against the beach sand as Connie and Steven walked along the shore, admittedly more leisurely than Connie would have liked. She made sure to stay out of the way of the water, but Steven didn’t mind the gentle waves that touched his sandals.

Connie snuck a glance at the person besides her. It was odd, the situation she was in. Here she was, teaming up with someone who was Steven, but also nothing like Steven. 

Sure, there were a lot of similarities. His eyes would glisten with stars when he got excited, just like her Steven. They both were incredibly optimistic and loving. Their senses of humor were almost identical too, and she suspected that her Steven would look just like this one, had he aged like a human.

There were also a lot of differences.

Some were obvious, like his longer hair, his hearing-aids, and the way that he actually looked like his age. But it was also his mannerisms that differed. Her Steven would hum unwritten songs to himself, tap beats onto his thighs, or go through the fingerings of ukulele chords when he was thinking. It was just something he did, a core part of his personality. 

This Steven did none of that. Instead, he fiddled with the edge of his shirt as he talked, sometimes dipping into a ramble of his thoughts. When they talked, sometimes he would sound out words with his hands.

That was another thing. He was almost fluent in American Sign Language, which Connie thought was super cool. He also showed her how he could move his ears without touching them. He said that it was like a secret code with him and his Connie. 

The differences weren’t bad of course, they just were… Different. It made Connie wonder how different her and her own double would be. 

As the Temple came into view, Steven spoke up.

“So, what’s it like in your world?”

Connie looked to Steven. “I dunno, what’s it like living in your world?”

Steven gave an awkward chuckle. “Yeah, I guess that would be a bit hard to answer. I mean, what’s normal to me might be totally weird to you. Maybe it rains pizza where you come from and that’s just a fact of life!” Connie smiled for a moment, but quickly resumed a neutral face. There was an opportunity here, and by gosh she was going to take it!

“It does rain pizza where I live, though. You should see our umbrellas, they’re basically giant bubbles,” She deadpanned. Steven’s jaw dropped, and Connie stifled her giggles the best she could which, admittedly, was not that well.

His dumbfounded look shifted to realization then to a shaky laugh. “Oh, haha, I totally didn’t believe you. It doesn’t rain pizza in your world, heh. That’s ridiculous.” He thought for a second. “It doesn’t, right?”

A sudden crash and shout emanating from the Temple prevented their conversation from proceeding. They glanced at each other, then back to the Temple. 

Wordlessly, they broke into a run towards the Beach House. Connie couldn’t help but imagine all the horrible things that could have happened while they were leisurely strolling along the beach front like they were _some tourists in a novella._

Did Steven appear in the temple just then? Maybe the Gems found him and realized that he was some sort of impostor. But Garnet would know that it was him, right? She had future vision, she could see those sorts of things, right? 

Unless she didn’t have future vision, or maybe she didn’t even exist in this universe and instead it was Pearl, or Amethyst, or Peridot or, or—She shook the thoughts from her head. 

Panicking would not help the situation, nor would thinking about every horrible possibility that could happen.

The two raced up the steps to the house. Though the screen door, Connie caught a glimpse of an eerily familiar Gem. She immediately pulled Steven away from the door. She held a finger to her lips, and while he nodded, Connie could tell he didn’t understand fully.

“You didn’t tell me that Jasper was one of the Gems!” She whispered, pulling him down to crouch under the window sill. And mostly to herself, she added, “and she’s uncorrupted…?”

“I’m _pretty_ sure I mentioned Jasper, like at the car wash or something, but you didn’t freak out then. What’s wrong with Jasper?” He whispered back.

“She’s—” Connie waved her hands in front of herself in an attempt to convey her thoughts. “Awful! She invaded Earth, she’s attacked the Gems multiple times, and she has some sort of vendetta against Steven cause of his mom!”

Steven whispered incredulously “What? His mom?” He shook his head, then said, “No, no, no, Jasper would never do any of that, I promise!” 

Before Connie was able to argue her point, the screen door burst open and hit the wall with enough force to crack the wood. 

Steven, _Connie’s_ Steven, rushed out from the beach house. He ignored the stairs, opting to jump the railing and float down onto the ground below. Connie and Steven immediately scrambled to their feet to run after the half-Gem. 

_Two minutes earlier_

Steven struggled in Jasper’s iron grip as Connie argued with the Gem.

“Jasper, put him down, please!” 

“He tried to run away, squirt. I’m keepin’ him safe.” Just then, Steven gave a particularly strong push against her arms, to which she gave a hearty chuckle. “Wow, humans are stronger than I remember.”

”Jasper, he’s not a danger! He’s just… different for some reason. Do you think it’s a Gem thing? Some sort of mind-eraser, body-changer thing?”

”You’re the ones that’re different!” Steven looked to Connie, who gave him a concerned, but curious, stare. “Connie, you didn’t have a Gem, and Jasper, an hour ago you were corrupted in a bubble!” He yelled as he continued to struggle in the Gem’s grip. Though, as soon as the words left his mouth, Jasper froze.

“What did you say?” The Gem punctuated her words carefully and with force. 

Steven quickly took advantage of her lapse of focus. He slipped out of her lax grip, and immediately ran to the door. Neither Connie nor Jasper made a movie to stop him, too shocked at his words.

He didn’t bother taking the stairs and simply jumped and floated down. He had to find Connie, he had to find—

“Hey, wait!” An oddly familiar voice shouted as a hand grabbed his shoulder, tugging him back. In a mix of adrenaline and training instincts kicking in, he grabbed the potential attacker’s arm and pulled them over his back, ignoring the surprised shout. He took a step back and gasped when he saw that the person hit the sand in front of him wasn’t, in fact, a brutish Gem set out to capture him.

Steven completely forgot about running away. Instead he covered his mouth and stared at the teenage boy in front of him. Stammering apologies, he reached out to help the kid up, but froze when the boy pushed back the large ringlets of hair that covered his face. He looked _just_ like him, save for a few key differences. The kid looked up at Steven with stars in his familiar eyes.

“Woah…” The kid breathed softly. 

“Steven!” Someone called out from right behind Steven. He spun around to see Connie. His Connie.

Immediately he forgot about the kid and ran up to her, hugging her tightly. “Are you okay? Did anything happen, are you hurt?” 

“No, no I’m fine Steven.” Connie pulled away from the hug. “Are you okay?”

“It doesn’t matter, we gotta go!” Steven grabbed Connie’s hand, tugging her in the direction of Beach City. “Jasper’s inside the Temple and she was trying to trap me or something. You’re there too, but it’s not actually you. I think—”

Connie dug her feet into the sand, stopping Steven from dragging her away. “Woah, Steven! It’s okay, don’t worry. Jasper’s not going to hurt you… I think. I sorta know what’s going on.” She took her hand out of his and instead, placed it on his shoulder. 

“Basically, we’re in some parallel world where I’m a gem, and you’re a human, and I guess Jasper’s one of the Crystal Gems.” She paused, then added, musing, “Or we’re in a simulation of some sort and in that case, I have no idea what’s going on.” 

“Simula— what?” 

“But the first thing is almost definitely what’s happening! I’m like, ninety percent sure,” She laughed anxiously.

He took in a deep breath, and exhaled. “Uh, okay. I guess Jasper wasn’t going to hurt me… Wait, so he _is_ actually me?” Steven asked, turning to face the boy, who had now gotten up on his feet and was brushing the sand off of his clothes. 

”In a way, yeah.” 

”Oh, jeez, and the first thing I did was flip him!” Steven gasped in realization. “I’m so sorry!” 

The other Steven looked at him, stars in his eyes “Oh my gosh, Connie! It’s me! But as a Gem! Gem me! Did you see what he did, Connie? He flew! He flew down the stairs! Well, floated? It’s basically the same thing, anyway.” 

Steven was taken back by the explosion of words. His double was definitely excitable, but then again, he was too, sometimes. Especially when he talked about Crying Breakfast Friends. One time, he had gone on for two hours talking to Connie about a theory he had about the mid-season finale. 

Okay, he could see the similarities.

“Do you know how much I’ve thought about how cool it would be if I was a Gem? Well, no I guess you wouldn’t know. I haven’t even talked to my Connie about that. I was considering like, writing something where I... ” 

He was about to continue, but stopped himself when he realized that he was starting to ramble. “Uh, sorry,” he chuckled, blushing. “How about we have a proper introduction?” 

He took on a faux posh accent and mimed tipping a hat to Steven. “Why hello, dear sir. I’m truly sorry about the predicament that was our initial meeting. I am Mister Steven Universe, son of Greg and Mary Universe, connoisseur of fry bits and other assorted fried goods. Delighted to make your acquaintance.” 

Steven took a moment to shake himself out of his shock. Then, he copied his double by pretending to place a monocle over his eye. “Ah, what a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Universe. Do not worry yourself, apologizing for what has happened. It was my fault, truly. I am also Mister Steven Universe, son of Rose Quartz and Greg Universe, aficionado of music, Crying Breakfast Friends, and Cookie Cats, may they rest in peace.” 

When they finished the charade, Connie and Steven broke into laughter. Though, Steven’s double seemed unsettled.

“Did you say, uh, Rose Quartz?”

“Uh, yeah. Why…?” Steven replied. 

“Oh jeez… Uh, no reason.” He gave a particularly fake smile, but it faded away quickly. “Well yeah, there is a reason. Connie said Rose Quartz was a sensitive subject with the Gems, Jasper especially. I don’t really know why, but Connie doesn’t either, though. I mean, I’m sure your mom is a great person where you’re from! Just maybe, not here.” He scratched the back of his neck as he spoke. “Maybe, don’t mention it around the Gems?” 

“Jasper especially?” Connie asked, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. Steven’s double nodded. “Alright, I guess we won’t mention it… ” She looked to Steven, who hadn’t said anything yet. “Right, Steven?”

What could his mom have possibly done here? He couldn’t fathom the idea of her being a Homeworld Gem. It must be something else. “Y-yeah. Right.” 

Awkward tension permeated the air for a few moments before Connie decided to change the subject. 

“So, uh, how are we gonna get home?” 

Steven’s double spoke. “Why don’t we just ask the Gems? Peridot’s super smart, so she might know about the device thing you were talking about.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Steven said, putting his hand to his chin. “Or Pearl, too. I mean, she knew a lot about it in our world, so why not in yours?”

His double gave him a quizzical look. “Pearl? I don’t know anyone named Pearl. I mean, maybe Connie —My Connie— has some out of state Gem friends, but the only Gems I’ve seen in Beach City are Jasper, Lapis, and Peridot.” 

“Wait, so you don’t have Pearl, Garnet, _or_ Amethyst?” The other Steven shook his head. If his Crystal Gems weren’t on Earth in this world, then they had to be somewhere else, like— Connie clapped her hands together, breaking Steven’s train of thought. 

“Okay, so let’s go talk to the Gems, then?”

“Yeah! But, I was thinking, that if Steven here,” His double gestured to the half-gem, “ran into Jasper and my Connie already, then maybe I should go up there and talk to them before they see you again. Like, you were running away from them, right? Not exactly the best first impression.” 

“Yeah,” Steven agreed. “I think I made Jasper upset, and your Connie was pretty concerned…”

“What did you say?” asked Connie. 

Steven rubbed his neck anxiously. “I kind of mentioned how Jasper was supposed to be corrupted… ”

“She’s supposed to be what?” His double blurted out.

“Okay, I can see how that’s concerning…” Connie continued, not acknowledging Steven’s double’s question. “But that wasn’t a _bad_ thing to say, Steven! I mean, it might have been weird for her to hear, but for us Jasper should have actually been in a bubble, at least in our world.”

”Yeah, but Jasper doesn’t know that. She thought that I was this world’s Steven, and that I had amnesia or something.”

Steven’s double took that as a perfect opportunity to jump back in. “Which is exactly why I should go up to the temple and explain the situation. I’ll tell Jasper about what’s going on here, and then we can ask Peridot about getting you guys home! Unless you wanna stay here, which would be pretty fun, but also weird. I mean, two Stevens? That’ll get confusing.” 

“Oh, yeah. We should probably do something about that while we’re here… Maybe nicknames?” said Connie.

Steven gasped. “I can finally use that secret alter ego I never got to use: Esteban Universidad!” 

“Why do you need a secret alter ego?” Steven’s double asked.

Steven rubbed his arm nervously. “Oh, uh, I had to go into space to save my dad from a human zoo, and we needed to sneak in to get him.”

“Woah, woah, wait. That sentence is packing a _huge_ story. First off, you’ve been to space?” 

“More than… a few times, actually, but let’s maybe focus on the nickname thing first.” The last thing he wanted to think about right now was the Zoo and the Gems that ran it. 

“Oh, yeah!” His double made a steeple with his hands and placed them on his chin. “So, while I like Esteban Universidad, my only criticism is that ‘Universidad’ actually means college in Spanish, not Universe.” 

“Right, it’s actually ‘universo’ that means universe, Steven.” Connie said, lending some of her limited knowledge of Spanish to the conversation.

“Oh…” said Steven, sounding slightly dejected. “What other nicknames could we use?”

“Maybe, your middle names? Like you would be Quartz, then whatever Steven’s middle name is?” Connie proposed.

“I don’t actually have a middle name, sorry.” Steven’s double shrugged. 

“Oh, that’s okay. What about… uhm,” She tapped her chin in thought. “Stevie and Steve?” Connie suggested hesitantly, but Steven’s double vetoed that as well, and Steven agreed. 

“Okay, well, what about just Universe and Steven? It’s not exactly a nickname, since Universe is technically a part of both your names, but I think it’d work.”

“Yeah! I could be Universe, too, since my shirt literally says Mr. Universe,” Steven’s double said, pointing out the shirt he was wearing. It did, in fact, say Mr. Universe.

“That works for me,” Steven said, though he was a little disappointed that they didn’t end up using his alter ego nickname. There will be other opportunities, he told himself. Esteban Universidad will not remain in the shadows forever.

“Okay, so you’re Universe,” Connie pointed to Steven’s double. “And you’re still Steven,” she pointed to Steven.

“Awesome. So, I’ll go tell the Gems what’s up, then?” Steven’s double, now Universe, asked, and when both Steven and Connie nodded, he made his way to the Temple.

They watched until Universe got to the porch of the Beach House, then Steven turned to Connie. “Sorry about, uh, freaking out earlier.”

Steven swore Connie looked almost offended that he had apologized. His immediate instinct was to apologize even more (did he do something wrong?), but before he could, she said, “Don’t be sorry, Steven! You reacted like anyone else would in this situation… Actually, I think you acted better than that. What if Jasper was actually trying to hurt you? 

“When I first showed up, I ended up having a conversation with St—Universe about how the Gems were basically superheroes. And, when we thought you were at the Temple, we just sort of walked here. We didn’t even run or anything!

“I wasn’t the most alert about the situation. You, though. You knew that it could be dangerous, and you did the right thing, at least, I think so. I couldn’t stand it if you got hurt… or something.” 

He felt his cheeks redden and looked down at his feet in an attempt to hide his blushing face.. “T-thanks, Connie.”

Just then, Universe called out from the porch of the Beach house, “Hey guys! You can come up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, and i hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since a few were confused about the POVs of the last chapter, I'll be adding notes for clarification. This chapter follows the POV of Swapped Connie, daughter of Doug and Citrine. The Steven who appears at the beginning of this chapter is Canon Steven, and the Steven who appears at the end of this chapter is Swapped Steven.
> 
> This chapter is also a sort of flashback chapter, or at least, it covers what happened with Swapped Connie and the Gems while Steven, Universe, and Canon Connie were talking last chapter.
> 
> Also, feel free to point out any typos/errors that I might've missed. (i really should have checked more thoroughly for them, but uh, i'm lazy)

“What did you say?” 

Connie could only watch with utter confusion as Steven (?) slipped out of the Gem’s arms and ran to the door. Within a moment, he had jumped over the porch railing, down onto the beach below. 

Corruption? Jasper bubbled? What was wrong with her gem? 

What happened to Steven? 

The Gem from her thoughts stood silent for a moment, processing her thoughts, before charging for the door. 

Connie barely made it in time to cut off her exit, arms spread wide to block the door. Jasper, the huge quartz, could have easily knocked the offending half-gem to the side, but she didn’t. Instead, she crossed her arms and gave Connie a moment to explain her actions. 

“W-wait! We can’t just go rushing in! Steven’s scared, and he could be dangerous, and we gotta know what’s going on,” Connie said to an increasingly irritated Jasper. “It would be better, and safer, for everyone if we had a plan.” 

“Squirt, I get that you’re trying to take charge and lead, and I appreciate that. I’m not sure if this is the best time, though. That… Universe is not who he is.”

“Jasper, sorry, but that’s obvious,” Connie said, earning a glare from the Gem before her. She continued without pause. “Steven’s… different, but that’s why we need to be cautious! We can’t just—”

Suddenly, a blue light and harsh, metallic noise filled the room, signalling the return of the rest of the Crystal Gems. 

“Lazuli, can you recall the mission briefing, where I specifically informed you that engaging in direct eye contact with the Sapphire corruption would only complicate and increase the difficulty of our mission?” Peridot asked from where she stood on the Warp Pad. She was looking at the blue Gem beside her, who held an dark blue gem encased in a teal bubble that only emphasized the color. 

Lapis tapped the top of the bubble and it disappeared with a distinct _pop._ “Uh, nope. Don’t remember that.” 

“That was a _rhetorical question!_ ” Peridot groaned. “You weren’t supposed to answer honestly, you were supposed to introspect on your past actions and on what it is the question refers to.” 

“Why does it even matter? I didn’t mean to look at it, P-dot, it just happened. We took care of it anyway, ” 

Peridot sighed, obviously exasperated, but didn’t say any more. Lapis turned to see Connie and Jasper, who had long fallen silent. “Oh, hey Con-Con, OJ. How’s it hanging?” She asked, face lighting up. Peridot stepped off of the Warp Pad, but stayed in the cavernous part of the beach house, while Lapis walked over to the kitchen and began looking for after-mission snacks.

“Lazuli,” Jasper said gruffly, facing the Ocean Gem. “This is not the time for nicknames and fun. We have a situation.” Connie hesitantly let her arms drop to her sides, seeing that Jasper was not going to chase after Steven (at least, for now). 

Lapis raised her eyebrows, but before she could say anything, Peridot spoke worriedly. “Situation? What situation?” She immediately looked to Connie, who thankfully, looked perfectly healthy, albeit somewhat unnerved. 

“It involves Steven,” Connie started. 

“What, did Pinkie-Pie finally confess his undying love to you?” Lapis interrupted, opening the fridge. She grabbed a can of Sugar Shock Shutdown, took a sip, then in a surprisingly good impression of Steven, she said, “Oh, Connie, I’ve had a crush on you since the very first day we met. Here, I wrote you this 50 page poem about how much I adore you and want to be your boyfriend. I also included some high fantasy fanfiction I wrote of us! Can you please edit it and tell me what you think?” She broke out into a fit of laughter… that quickly subsided when no one joined in. 

She took another sip of her energy drink.

Connie, while silent, was blushing to the roots of her hair. She managed to stammer out a weak “N-no, that’s not it,” and then looked to Peridot. 

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart, then said, “Okay, maybe you can help, ma’am. Steven’s not himself. Not like he’s upset or something, he’s literally not himself. He looks different, younger, actually? He freaked out when he saw Jasper, and he ran, but before that happened, he said some really weird things about my Gem and Jasper being corrupted? Does, uh, does any of that ring a bell? Is it some weird Gem thing or...”

Peridot froze, eyes wide. “Jasper corrupted? Are you sure he was referring to the physical and mental state of Gems when exposed to certain sound waves generated by…” She coughed. “Ah, no. No, in no way is that familiar to me.” She composed herself, then aligned four of her fingers to form a screen, one finger free to act as a stylus. 

“What key differences were you able to note with this new Steven?” Peridot asked as she pressed a few keys, and suddenly was faced with an empty document for note-taking. 

Subconsciously, Connie straightened her posture as she gave her report. “His hair was much shorter, like, to here,” she held her hand out a few inches from her head. “He was shorter than me too, but only by an inch or two. He was wearing a red shirt with a star on it, jeans, and flip flops, I think.” 

“General appearance…” Peridot muttered to herself as she took notes on her screen. “Okay, excellent. You mentioned earlier that he said “weird things.” Can you elaborate?”

“Yes ma’am, he said that I wasn’t supposed to have a Gem? Whatever that means. But then he said that Jasper was supposed to be corrupted in a bubble.” 

Jasper jumped into the conversation with, “Is this really necessary?” 

“Yes it is!” Connie insisted. “I told you, we need a plan!” 

“What is there to plan? We go out, capture him, then interrogate—” 

“Actually Jasper,” Peridot interrupted, “Connie is correct. Having a course of action planned out would make accomplishing this mission effortless. Especially if my hypothesis on what the cause of Steven’s anomaly is correct. If I am accurate, then this mission will be incredibly time sensitive and we must begin planning immediately. Prolonged exposure of dimensional counterparts to dimensions not of their own can lead to… undesirable consequences,” she ended her sentence with a slight grimace. 

“Wait, dimensional counterparts?” Connie asked. “I’m confused.”

“I did just say this mission was time sensitive, did I not?” Peridot sighed. “Well, I suppose a quick briefing would help the mission continue smoothly.” 

Five more fingers added themselves to the current screen, creating a whiteboard of sorts. With her leftover finger, Peridot wrote out MULTIVERSE at the top of the screen. Then, with a few quick swipes, she drew two circles. One labeled US and another labeled HIM. 

“Multiverse?” Connie’s eyes filled with stars. “You meant that’s an actual, proven theory?” 

Peridot corrected her gently. “It isn’t a theory if it’s proven to be factual, Connie.”

Connie’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, yeah, right.” 

“Anyway, if Connie’s report was accurate, the Steven in question is a dimensional counterpart to our own. In layman’s terms, he is from an alternate dimension. See, this is our dimension,” Peridot pointed to the circle labeled US. “Earth number 5xE4. I cannot presume to know what dimension that Steven is from without issuing a proper scan, however.” 

“All that is known is that somehow, he has crossed the dimensional void safely, and gained entrance to our own dimension,” She drew a line between the two circles, a bridge connecting the two universes. “The method by which he has done so is important to note as well, since if it is simple to repeat, it would be the best way of fixing this issue. Currently, our best course of action is locating him and returning him to his native dimension as soon as possible—”

"That’s what I’ve been saying that, Peridot,” Jasper said, annoyed at the waste-of-time lecture. “Just with less… useless jargon.”

Peridot blushed. “Well, yes, but…” The screen folded in on itself, and the fingers returned themselves to their respective limb enhancer. She fiddled with one of the side panels on her left enhancer for a moment, then said, “It was important for Connie to understand the entirety of this mission and know what she is going to be facing.”

“Nice save, Per-bear,” Lapis snorted.“Wait, do you think that before we send fake-Steven off, we could keep him around for a while? There’s a few pranks I wanna try out on the townies… ” She looked down at her energy drink, seemingly in deep thought.

“No! It is imperative that once we find this Steven, we return him to his proper dimensions immediately, and that means _no pranks._ ” Peridot said, giving side eye to Lapis. Lapis just rolled her eyes, and made sure to wink at Connie, who responded with a raise of her eyebrows. It wasn’t like they were twins… What pranks could she possibly pull? 

“If it’s so ‘imperative’, shouldn’t we go find him now?” Jasper asked. From the tapping of her foot, Connie could tell that the quartz was getting antsy. 

“Ah yes, of course,” Peridot turned to the Ocean Gem, who was currently downing the rest of her energy drink. “Lapis, you’ll take the role of flying over the township and attempting to locate our target from above—”

The screen door opened gently, and Steven, who Connie immediately recognized to be her Steven, long curls, hearing aids and all, poked his head into the beach house. All eyes turned towards him, despite his intention to not intrude. “Hey, uh, is this a bad time?” 

“N-no,” Connie stammered, still reeling at the fact that _the Multiverse exists, oh my god. Does that mean there’s a world where Steven and I are together and we’ve kis—_

Steven smiled. “Great! So uh, this is gonna sound weird, but we got me and you standing out on the beach right now,” 

Connie understood what Steven meant, mostly. He had found his double, and he was on the beach but— Wait. “... and me? You mean there’s a version of me here too?” 

Steven stepped inside the house, letting the door close behind him. “Oh! So you already know about this, then. Yeah, we decided on nicknames and—”

Peridot yelped. “Connie’s counterpart is here too? Steven, step aside. We need to capture and return these counterparts to their rightful dimensions immediately.” She took a few steps towards the door, but Steven’s waving hands stopped her from proceeding.

“Capture? What, no! They’re right outside, and they aren’t going to harm anyone, they just want to get home. I can call them up right now, if you guys want?” 

“How could you possibly know they will--”

Connie interrupted Peridot, who quickly fell silent to listen to her student. “Peridot, I don’t think force is going to work well here, and besides, if they’re like me and Steven, then I’m sure they’ll listen. And Jasper,” Connie turned to the Quartz. “I’m keeping an eye on you. You two got off to a rocky start and I don’t want you attacking him or something.” 

To Connie’s surprise, Jasper gave a hearty laugh and smiled. “Look at her, taking charge, not even asking. Atta Gem!” Connie blushed at the Quartz’s words. Should she apologize for taking the lead, be thankful for the compliment? Though, She wasn’t able to say anything before Steven took hold of the conversation. 

“Aaanyway, I’ll just go and get them, alright?” Steven asked, pointing to the door. Connie nodded, and Steven stepped out of the house for a moment and shouted down to the beach. “Hey guys! You can come up!” 

Moments later, the two dimensional counterparts were in the beach house, and Connie was suddenly face to face with a double of herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The high fantasy fanfiction that Lapis mentions actually exists, by the way! It's a chapter in the [Connieswap Omake collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/23819718), and it's just as amazing as it sounds, only the fanfic is written by Connie instead of Steven. 
> 
> The omake was written by [CoreyWW](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW/works), who's a great writer, and you should totally check out his work if you get the chance!


End file.
